'Country Ever After' Star Loses 7-Year Battle to Colon Cancer: 'Slipped Into the Arms of Jesus'
Netflix star and country music singer Criscilla Anderson has lost her long-time battle with cancer at the age of 45.
The sad news was announced in a posthumous post shared on her behalf by her friend Lindsey Villatoro.
"My sweet community, if you're reading this, I've finally slipped into the arms of Jesus — peacefully and surrounded by love," Anderson wrote on December 2nd. "Please don't stay in the darkness of this moment. I fought hard, and I loved deeply. I am not gone… I'm Home."
Anderson is widely known for her 13-year marriage to country music star Coffey Anderson. The couple raised four children and, for a brief stint, shared their family shenanigans on Netflix's 2020 reality show, "Country Ever After."
After losing her nearly seven-year battle against colon cancer, the former choreographer for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders also took time in her note to address her children, including her 17-year-old stepdaughter, Savannah, whom she lovingly called her "bonus girl."
"Ethan, you made me a mum. I'm still beside you, cheering you on," Anderson wrote. "Savannah, my bonus girl – you were a gift God knew I needed. Emmarie, my Jesus-loving dancer – keep dancing through every season. Everleigh, my bright spark – chase your dreams boldly and without fear."'
She encouraged her children, friends, and family, writing, "Please take care of one another — my love is still wrapped around you."
"Be gentle with each other. Hold my children close. And remember: heaven isn't as far away as it feels," she continued. "I love you all. Always."
Anderson was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018. After receiving treatment, she went into remission right around the time she and Coffey began filming their Netflix show.
Coffey told CBN News around that time that while Criscilla's cancer battle was one of the toughest and most vulnerable elements to deal with while being filmed, God sustained the couple.
"It's up and down. And I think … some days we believe stronger than others, and that's why you pull people around you that are pulling for you and with you," Anderson said. "You have to protect your faith, your strength … you have to protect innocence."
Sadly, the cancer returned in 2022. Last month, Anderson's friend, Villatoro, shared that the singer's colon cancer had metastasized in her brain following a stroke, according to the New York Post.
Yet, she remained hopeful with plans "to move forward with radiation, possibly chemo" and other options.
"She is leaning into the unknown and trusting God's promises with a courage that's hard to describe. She wants to live. She wants to fight. And she's holding tight to every prayer and every miracle still possible," Lindsey wrote in a joint post in November. "And to her online community lifting her in prayer and searching for answers right alongside her — wow. Your love has become part of her armor."
After Anderson's death was made public, Coffey paid tribute to her on Instagram.
"Criscilla defined strength and fighter like no other person on the planet," he wrote. "Heaven gained a star today."
Coffey added, "Our hearts are shattered. Our minds are jumbled. Our lives will never be the same. The house is quieter because you're missing. The babies are resilient and strong as ever. We did good with them. So, dance your heart out on the beach in heaven."
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